To report suspected abuse or neglect of a child, please call the Abuse and Neglect Hotline at 720-887-2271.

Child Welfare Assessments:

When a report alleging concerns about children’s safety and well-being is received, county child protection staff conducts an assessment to determine the child or children’s safety and whether or not the family is in need of services. If the safety of the children in the home cannot be determined, the county agency sees the child immediately. Otherwise, the agency prioritizes the response time based on the risk to the children.

The caseworker visits the home and completes a thorough assessment and takes appropriate action. For instance, in most assessments the child is not in danger of immediate serious harm. In these instances, the assessment focuses primarily on assessing family needs, helping the family problem solve around immediate concerns, and arranging for services.

In some cases safety concerns are paramount and the caseworker and family work together to develop a plan to protect the child. The caseworker attempts to assure the safety of the child during the assessment, either through keeping the child at home with certain safeguards or through a temporary placement with relatives or foster care. The county department may request court oversight if indicated.